The characters and dialogue were good, but there just wasn't enough story to sustain interest. Instead there was a superabundance of his clunky descriptive style.

Still, the story was fairly interesting, and the whole might have rated a 'so-so,' but the horrible ending certainly did not reward the perseverance it took to get there.

Much better (satisfying) than the newer 'Greatest Story,' reviewed below, but still not up to the two biographies by him I've read; for much the same reasons I related.

Maybe a minimal 'pick,' but recommended even so.

Having read, and enjoyed 'Reading Lolita' and 'Persepolis,' I really think this should be required reading for others who have read either or both. It really attempts to paint the other side, without discounting, or making apologies for the revolutionary government.

Having read a few of his biographies, which I thought quite good, I tried this more sweeping history of science. While I still though the history and biographical elements were good, the scope of the subject made the explication of the science far from adequate for the complexity of it; and I came into this already familiar with the topic.

It's a credit to his writing ability that I finished this—and didn't pan it. The story is such weak tea, and the characters such nonentities, that it was mostly a struggle to keep from bailing. He either phoned this one in, or is not worth reading. Perhaps his talent is better suited to non-fiction or short stories.

I started keeping tabs on good quotes to excerpt, but quickly found nearly every page contained one, if not more. Please do yourself a favor and read this book!

I am not the intended demographic for this 'teen' tale. Pacing and dialog were good, but the prominence of teen issues and the relative weakness (incompleteness) of the core mystery prevents me from giving it a top rating.

I could not write any kind of review without talking up the production of the physical book. The accompanying illumination, the typography, the feel of the binding are all extraordinary. Only the paper wasn't top hole.

So-so just about covers it, and the end was a bit long—for all it's inevitability.

I suspect that this wasn't as accurate a depiction of the times as it could be, but it read well regardless of the clunky modern mores. The biggest issue with the plot vs. the history might be the prevalence of FGM.

These ideas might have made an interesting essay of much shorter length, but the ham fisted dialog/plot was just too much ballast.

This wasn't actually all that bad, but I just couldn't get past the blatant chic-lit tropes. It's a tribute to the quality of the writing that I stuck with it as long as I did.

Just stay away.

I understand that this is a first novel; and it starts out ok, if definitely unpolished. Things do not improve. Indeed they go downhill till the bitter and ridiculous ending (or should I say prelude to a sequel?). Do not read.

As an aside, why in so many mediocre (or worse) mysteries, with enough incredible coincidences to choke a horse, do the supposed sleuths no even mention the improbability of the situation?

Just read this book.

[S]ugar "scares" him.... If the sugars we consume—sucrose and HFCS specifically—cause insulin resistance, then they are prime suspects for causing cancer as well, or at the least promoting its growth. ...[T]he association between obesity, diabetes, and cancer... suggests that whatever is causing insulin resistance is increasing the likelihood that we will get cancer.

[...]

...[S]ugar also increases the likelihood that dementia is in our future.

[A]s the [Sugar Research Foundation] report correctly claimed, it was the "marriage of tobacco and sugar" that made possible both the astounding success of American cigarettes worldwide and the lung cancer epidemic that followed.

I got this book because I enjoy the "Shetland" TV series. The book was a lot less of a procedural, and other than the physical setting and descriptions of that part of the world, it was fairly weak tea. On the plus side, I could easily understand what the characters were saying.

I recommend this to anyone more interested in quantum mechanics, science, and the history of science than the particulars of Mr. Feynman's life. I was a bit worried that it would focus too heavily on biography, or dumb down the science, this was precisely the mix that I wanted.

Mr. Krauss does an excellent job describing this complex subject to a numerate layman. He did such an admirable job, that I will definitely read some of his other efforts.

"[T]he theoretical broadening which comes from having many humanities subjects on campus is offset by the general dopiness of the people who study these things." -- Richard Feynman

Suppose that we were spending another $50 billion a year on medical research in order to replace patent-supported research, and [...] all drugs were sold as generics. The annual deficit would be $50 billion higher due to the additional spending [...] but we would save $380 billion a year on drugs due to generic pricing. In Washington policy circles, the high-drug-price scenario would be the path of fiscal prudence and caring about our children.

Readable; but pretty damn pedestrian. No interesting characters or plotting. Stick with Dashiell Hammett.

This blend of archeological, literary and historical treatments of Helen is not quite as engrossing as Ms Hughes' other "The Hemlock Cup," but well worth reading. Her command of the source materials, and journeys to the actual places discussed make for engaging tales. It is perhaps a bit longer than I would have liked and the appendices were a bit redundant to those who've seen her Documentary "The Minotaur's Island."

This book contains the latest science, and doesn't mince words when classifying birds as extant dinosaurs. For these reasons alone, it is well worth one's time. It doesn't dumb down the discussion, nor clutter the text with jargon. Another big plus are the wonderful illustrations including artists' science-based imaginings, as well as actual fossils.

Even though it's a bit older, I would recommend "Dinosaur Odyssey" (2009) by Scott D. Sampson.